Draenei
Draenei (vyslovováno jako DRAN-eye nebo DRAHN-eye) je skupina nezkažených eredar, kteří utekli z jejich domovského světa Argusu. Jejich základna je na Azuremyst Isles, blízko západního pobřeží Kalimdoru, a jsou součástí Aliance v rozšíření the Burning Crusade (Plamenná Legie). Jejich hlavní město je Exodar. Historie Dávno, na planetě Argus, vznikla rasa eredar. Byli velice inteligentní a měli přirozený blízký vztah s magií všech forem. Používáním jejich darů, vyvinuli rozsáhlou a neobyčejnou společnost. V nejvyšším kruhu jejich společnosti, stáli tři významní vůdci eredar, Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, a Velen, kteří byli osloveni Sargerasem, Padlým Titánem. Sargeras byl ohromený prací eredar: chtěl je opatřit mnohem větší mocí a znalostmi, výměnou za jejich loajalitu. Ale když Kil'jaeden a Archimonde přijmuli nabídku, Velen měl vizi o budoucnosti, která ho naplnila hrůzou. Viděl temnou budoucnost, které jeho lid čelí: obsazení temným titánem Sargerasem a transformování na démony. Velen saw the Legion in all its terrible might and witnessed the destruction it would wreak upon all of creation. He hastened to warn Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, but they dismissed his concerns and proceeded to profess loyalty to the Destroyer of Worlds. Together, the latter transformed a majority of their people into an insidious race of warlocks and later allied themselves with the Burning Legion. Velen nearly despaired, but his prayers for help were answered. A being came to Velen and explained that it was one of the naaru, a race of sapient energy beings bent on stopping the Burning Legion. The naaru offered to take Velen and any other like-minded eredar to safety. Deeply relieved, Velen gathered the other eredar loyal to him. Naming themselves the "draenei", or "exiled ones" in the Eredun language, the renegades barely escaped from Argus in the naaru ship Oshu'gun, with the Burning Legion hot on their heels. Kil'jaeden was furious with what he felt was Velen's betrayal, and the demon vowed to hunt Velen and the rest of the draenei to the ends of the cosmos if need be. The draenei visited many worlds and explored much of the known cosmos in their quest to find safe harbor. Still, a hell-bent Kil'jaeden would not give up his pursuit, sending his agent Talgath to hunt them down. Meanwhile, the enigmatic naaru race blessed the draenei with Light-given knowledge and power. The naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion. One day the naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable army of the Light. Deeply affected by the naaru's words, the draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the naaru's altruistic ideals. At last Velen and his draenei settled upon a remote and peaceful world that seemed an ideal refuge. They named it Draenor, or "Exiles' Refuge", and there they quietly cultivated their society once again. Ever wary of being discovered again by Kil'jaeden's forces, Velen and his mystics kept their magic hidden. In time the draenei met and befriended the shamanic orc clans that already lived in the tranquil southern grasslands (later called Nagrand). Aside from engaging in some limited trade, the draenei and orcs regarded one another with respect but kept mostly to themselves. However, no amount of preparation could keep the draenei hidden forever. Eventually, Talgath—after some 25,000 years of pursuit—stumbled upon Draenor, and reported back to Kil'jaeden. Kil'jaeden, however, was intrigued by the neighboring orcs. Through his protégé Gul'dan, he quickly succeeded in corrupting them. Smoothly manipulated from a state of wary acceptance into blind rage and blood lust, the orcs attacked the draenei. This bloody conflict lasted nearly eight years, but the orcs' triumph was unequivocal. The orcs killed over eighty percent of the draenei race and sent the rest fleeing for safety to the remote corners of the world. Draenei who had fought the Horde and survived found that they had been affected by the fel energies wielded so freely by the orc warlocks. These draenei have since mutated into lesser forms, resulting in a series of subspecies. Kil'jaeden's revenge was complete, or so he thought — Velen and a handful of untransformed draenei have survived the destruction of their cities by the orcs and fled to Zangarmarsh. There they have been hiding until recently. After coming to Draenor, the blood elves discovered the power of Tempest Keep and successfully seized it. To escape, the draenei came out of hiding and managed to wrestle control of a wing of the keep, The Exodar, and tried to use it to flee and find aid in retaking their home. Before they could, however, the blood elves managed to sabotage what is essentially the "engine" of the draenei's transdimensional travel. The remainder of the Keep lies in Outland in Netherstorm and is now the home of Prince Kael'thas. When the draenei tried to planeshift, their sabotaged engine went haywire, and The Exodar ended up hurtling out of control through the Twisting Nether until it crash-landed on a chain of islands, the Azuremyst Isles, off the western coast of Kalimdor. As the surviving draenei salvaged what they could of their ship and tried to help what was left of their people, they began exploring this new world; contact with the night elves of Darkshore was imminent.